This list from Cracked is less about the origins of said nursery rhymes and more about telling us what "some experts say" about where these rhymes came from. For example:
Three Blind Mice:
This popular ditty is "already kind of disturbing on its own," but it takes on a whole new meaning if it's true that "The farmer's wife in the poem is an allusion to the 16th Century Queen 'Bloody' Mary I," and that the "three mice supposedly represent three noblemen who got together and said, 'Gee guys, maybe this Mary lady isn't all there.' and were consequently prosecuted for conspiring against the queen." Sounds like a warning against saying bad things about the government.
Georgie Porgie:
Rather than a story about, "Some playground creep who seemed to lose his balls at the sight of young men," some say that, "Georgie Porgie is…a caricature of George Villiers, the 1st Duke of Buckingham and hardcore pretty boy." Villiers apparently seduced King Charles I and earned the title, " Gentleman of the Bedchamber." "Georgie" Villiers exerted undue political influence over the King, and eventually Parliament stepped in and broke up the happy couple. Villiers didn't put up much of a fight, according to Cracked – he "ran away." (This one seems like a bit of a stretch, but I never really understood "Georgie Porgie" anyway, so I'll take this explanation.)
For three more, click here.
Source/image: Cracked.com
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